Open container for transport and for presentation of goods

ABSTRACT

An open container, in particular a plastic container, for transporting and displaying goods. The open container has a bottom, a rear wall protruding from the bottom, two opposite side walls protruding from the bottom, and a front wall provided with a cutout or a completely open end side. The open container can be mated with a further, identical container turned upside down to form a closed container. The side walls have side wall portions that may be trapezoidal or crenellated. The side wall portions are offset to each other laterally or in the transverse direction of the wall and overlap with corresponding side wall portions of the identical, upside-down container, preferably over the entire height of the side wall portions, and are fitted together.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to EuropeanApplication No. 21 215 688.9, filed Dec. 17, 2021, the contents of whichare incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an open container that can beconnected together with a further container that is identical and turnedupside down to form a common closed container.

BACKGROUND

Containers are known from the prior art where a container that is openat the top can be turned upside down and the container can be placedupside down on a further, identical container to obtain a single closedcontainer. The two open containers are connected, for example, by clampsor the like.

DE 93 00 535 U1 describes an open container whose side walls areconfigured in such a way that a further identical container, when turnedupside down, fits onto the container in such a way that a closed,rectangular or cuboid container is formed. The open container hasprojections and recesses on the upper edges of the side walls which fitinto corresponding recesses and projections of the further container andprevent the two containers from slipping.

It has been shown that containers such as those known from DE 93 00 535U1 do not exhibit optimum stackability or are unable to withstandgreater stacking loads. When a load is applied from above to the uppercontainer, which acts as a container lid, the side walls placed oneabove the other may slip sideways despite the interlocking projectionsand recesses. As a result, one of the two containers may slide or dipinto the other container, causing both containers to jam. This meansthat the container deforms sideways (outward or inward) when loaded fromabove and is no longer stable. Although the container of DE 93 00 535 U1has a rib which encloses the side wall of the other container, this ribprevents lateral slipping in only one direction (outward and notinward).

SUMMARY

The object of the disclosure is therefore to provide an open containerwhich can be connected together with a further, identical or at leastcompatible container to form a closed container and which has improvedstackability and stability. Furthermore, the open container is to besuitable for the presentation of goods.

The present disclosure relates to an open container, in particular aplastic container, for transporting and displaying goods. The containerhas a bottom, a rear wall protruding from the bottom, two opposite sidewalls protruding from the bottom, and a front wall provided with acutout and opposite the rear wall. The open container can becompleted/assembled with a further, identical container turned upsidedown to form a closed container. The side walls have several side wallportions which are offset to each other laterally or in the transversedirection of the wall and overlap with corresponding side wall portionsof the identical, upside-down container over the entire height of theside wall portions or over the entire height of the side wall,respectively, and are fitted together.

The open container can thus be assembled/connected with an identicalcontainer, which is placed upside down on top of the container, to forma common, closed container. A number of the side wall portions areoffset inward toward the center of the container. A number of the sidewall portions are offset outward. The offset side wall portions of thefirst and the other container interlock. Thus, the side wall portionsoverlap and form a double container wall.

The open container has a number of advantages. Since the container isopen, it is suitable for the presentation of goods. When two containersare connected to form the closed container, the closed containerprotects the goods inside the container. The side wall portions, whichoverlap each other, give the closed container a high stability. Sincethe outer walls of the closed container are doubled by the overlappingside wall portions, bulging of the container is prevented.

The container may be a folding container, so that the rear wall, frontwall (if present) and the side walls are hinged to the bottom and can befolded inward or can be erected from the inside outward. In the erectedstate, the rear wall, front wall (if present) and the side walls can belocked together or locked in place.

If the side wall portions of the same height are configured in atrapezoidal shape, i.e. if the side wall portions taper away from thebottom, then V-shaped incisions are created between adjacent side wallportions, which allow a lateral view into the interior of the containeror respectively to the goods in the container.

According to one optional aspect of the present disclosure, adjacent andlaterally offset side wall portions may partially overlap in thelongitudinal direction of the side wall, in particular in the regionnear the bottom, and may form a reinforced portion in the overlapregion. This increases the stability of the container on its own, i.e.without a second container fitted on top of it, since the container isreinforced in the overlap region or has twice the wall thickness.Preferably, those regions of the side wall portions where the side wallsare hinged to the bottom may be reinforced.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, whenthe two containers are fitted together, the side wall portions of thefurther container lie parallel next to the side wall portions of theopen container and the respective side wall portions form a double sidewall. Since the side wall portions of the respective containers overlapover the entire height of the container, the respective side wallportions form a double/reinforced side wall. The double side wall givesthe closed container a high degree of stability. This effectivelyprevents the two containers from slipping against each other, even underhigh loads. The double side wall also prevents bulging of the side wallsunder high loads.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, atleast some of the side wall portions have a number of recesses or holesin at least a portion of the side wall portions. The number of recessesreduces the weight of the container. As a result, the container can betransported more easily. The number of recesses also saves material.This means that the container can be produced more cost-effectively. Inaddition, the number of recesses in the side wall makes it possible tolook inside the container. The recesses allow a user to look inside thecontainer through the respective side wall portions. This makes thecontainer suitable for presenting goods. The side wall portions with thenumber of recesses thus enable the side wall portions to be as high asthe rear wall or front wall of the container, but still allow a viewfrom outside into the interior of the container.

The front wall of the container may also have a number of recesses.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, therecesses form a grid. The grid allows the respective side wall to havethin bars with large recesses / holes while still being stable. The gridshape of the side wall ensures that the side wall portions have thenecessary stability and the recesses are still large enough to allow aview into the interior of the container.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, therecesses are arranged in a honeycomb shape. This arrangement of therecesses allows the side walls to have only filigree bars while stillhaving high stability. The recesses are large due to the filigree bars,which results in good visibility into the container interior and lowmaterial consumption.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, theside wall portions that are offset toward the center of the containerhave the number of recesses, while the side wall portions that areoffset toward the outside form a continuous side wall without recesses.That is, the side wall portions that have recesses or holes are on theinside and the side wall portions that do not have recesses are on theoutside. When two containers are joined to form a closed container, theouter side wall portions surround the inner side wall portions.Likewise, the rear wall of the container, which does not have recesses,surrounds the front wall with the number of recesses. Since the outerside wall portions do not have any recesses, the closed container doesnot have recesses on the outside. Thus, a closed container withcontinuously closed outer sides is provided. Continuously closed in thiscontext means that the outer sides do not have recesses or holes.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, theside wall portions adjacent to the rear wall and the rear wall togetherform a rear-side container wall portion extending over the entire heightof the container. The front wall of the container lies further inwardand the rear-side container wall portion lies further outward and therear-side container wall portion of the further, upside-down containerencompasses / embraces the front wall, preferably over the entireheight.

In other words, fourth side wall portions, which are L-shaped and mergeinto the rear wall and are positioned on the rear side of the container,embrace the front wall of the container. The fourth side wall portionslie against the rear wall and, together with the rear wall, form therear-side container wall portion. For this purpose, the rear-sidecontainer wall portion is offset further outward and the front wallfurther inward. The container wall portion and the front wall overlapover the entire height of the container. This means that both frontsides of the closed container are double-walled. This increases thestability of the closed container. The front sides and corner areas,which are usually subject to higher loads, e.g. due to impacts, are morestable and resistant due to the container wall portions overlapping orrespectively being double-walled over the entire height. Since thecontainer wall portions and the rear wall or respectively the front wallembrace each other, the connected containers cannot slip sidewaysagainst each other.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, thefront wall has recesses / holes. The recesses also save material andweight for the front wall. Since the front wall is enclosed by thecontainer wall portion together with the rear wall, the front wall facesinward when the container is closed. As a result, the recesses are alsoarranged on the inside and the closed container is completely closed onthe outside and without recesses.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, thetop rim of the side walls is configured such that the further containeris stacked on the open container. Thereby, the bottom of the uppercontainer rests on the upper rim of the rear wall as well as on theupper rim of the side walls of the lower container. The goods in thelower container are protected from being damaged by the upper containersince the upper container does not penetrate into the interior space ofthe lower container. By stacking open containers, goods can be presentedin a space-saving way.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, thecontainer comprises a latch at the bottom that receives and secures theupper rim of the bottom container when stacking two containers.

In other words, the upper side wall portion of the container can dipinto a bottom-side opening of the further container when stackingseveral containers on top of each other. The upper side wall portion canbe locked in the bottom-side opening by a locking device. The upper sidewall portion is immersed in the bottom-side opening to such an extentthat the upper container rests level on the upper rims of the side walland the rear wall. The locking prevents the containers from slipping ortipping over when stacked.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure,side-wall corner portions are positioned at the front side of thecontainer. In other words, the side-wall corner portions are attached tothe (cut-out) front side of the container. In the broadest sense, theside-wall corner portions have the function of a corner pillar. Theside-wall corner portions have a high degree of stability. Due to thehigh rear wall on one side and the side-wall corner portions on theother side of the container, the container has an approximatelysymmetrical structure and is stable. The side-wall corner portions areconfigured in such a way that the rear wall surrounds the side-wallcorner portions from the outside when they are inserted into each other.The rear wall thus embraces the side-wall corner portions. Theoverlapping of the rear wall and of the side-wall corner portionsincreases the stability of the closed container and prevents relativemovement between the connected containers.

According to a further, optional aspect of the present disclosure, thefourth side wall portion merges into the rear wall in an L-shape. Thismeans that the fourth side wall portion has a side that protrudes intothe rear wall of the container. This increases the stability of thecontainer wall portion. When the containers are nested, the side thatprojects into the rear wall surrounds the front wall of the othercontainer. The L-shaped container wall portion surrounds the front wall,providing additional stability to the closed container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of an open container according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of two containers according to thepresent disclosure which are connected to each other;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the two containers according to the presentdisclosure which are connected to each other;

FIG. 4 shows an isometric representation of two containers according tothe present disclosure, which are connected in such a way that they forma closed container;

FIG. 5 shows two closed containers according to the present disclosurestacked on top of each other;

FIG. 6 shows a container according to the present disclosure foldedtogether; and

FIG. 7 shows two open containers according to the present disclosurestacked on top of each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a container 1 according to a first embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The container 1 made of plastic comprises a bottom2, two (long) opposite side walls 4 and a (short) side wall or rear wall6 that extend from the bottom 2. A deep-cut front wall 8 of thecontainer 1 is positioned opposite the rear wall 6. The front wall 8 islow in a portion so that goods are visible in the container 1 in frontof the front wall 8. The front wall 8 is cut out in such a way that itis lowest in the middle and highest at the corners of the container 1.Since the container 1 does not have a lid, the container 1 is open atthe top. The side walls 4, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 areconfigured so that they can be folded inward and over each other.Therefore, the side walls 4, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 arepivotally hinged to the bottom 2. The opposite side walls 4 aresymmetrical to each other. Each side wall 4 is divided into several sidewall portions 10, 12, 14, and 16. All side wall portions 10, 12, 14, and16 are the same height. The side wall portions 10, 12, 14, 16 are of thesame height as the rear wall 6 and the highest portion of the front wall8. The front wall 8 and at least some of the side wall portions 10, 12,14, 16 are not a continuous wall, but have a number of holes or recesses20, respectively. These recesses 20 are preferably grid-shaped orhoneycomb-shaped. Preferably, side wall portions 10, 14 with recesses 20alternate with side wall portions 12, 16 without recesses.

A first side wall portion 10 is directly adjacent to the front wall 8.The first side wall portion 10 is offset inward. The first side wallportion 10 is the same height as the highest portion of the front wall8. The first side wall portion 10 is drawn around the corner or has anapproximate L-shape. The first side wall portion 10 merges into thefront wall 8. This results in side-wall corner portions 11 at the frontside of the container 1. A second side wall portion 12 is arranged nextto the first side wall portion 10, but offset outward in comparison withit. The second side wall portion 12 has the same height as the firstside wall portion 10. A third side wall portion 14 is in turn arrangednext to the second side wall portion 12 and offset inward relative tothe latter. This means that the third side wall portion 14 is offsetinward by the same amount as the first side wall portion 10. A fourthside wall portion 16 is offset outward with respect to the third sidewall portion 14 and is therefore offset outward by the same amount asthe second side wall portion 12. Thus, the side wall portions 10, 12,14, and 16 are alternately offset inward or outward. The fourth sidewall portion 16 adjoins the rear wall 6 and is the same height as thelatter. The fourth side wall portion 16 merges into the rear wall 6 inan L-shape. The fourth side wall portion 16 and the rear wall 6 togetherform a container wall portion 18. As explained above, some of the sidewall portions 10, 12, 14, and 16 comprise the recesses 20. In thisregard, precisely the side wall portions 10, 14 have the recesses 20that are offset inward. The side wall portions 12, 16 that are offsetoutward, on the other hand, do not have any recesses. Thus, side wallportions with and without recesses 20 alternate along the length of thecontainer 1.

The recesses 20 reduce the material required to manufacture thecontainer 1. The reduced material consumption reduces manufacturingcosts and especially the weight of the container. Furthermore, therecesses 20 allow a user to look inside the container 1 from the outsidethrough the side walls 4. Together with the missing lid, the container 1is thus suitable for the presentation of goods. Nevertheless, the goodsin the container 1 are protected by the (partly grid-shaped) side walls4.

The side walls 4 are not continuous. The second and third side wallportions 12, 14 are trapezoidal. The first and fourth side wall portionshave the shape of a half trapezoid. In the longitudinal direction of thecontainer, the side wall becomes lower at one trapezoidal flank, reachesa minimum at the transition between two side wall portions, and thenrises again at the trapezoidal flank of the next side wall portion.Overall, each side wall 4 is configured in an undulating manner by thefour side wall portions 10, 12, 14, and 16. The lower portions in theside walls 4 make it easier to see into the container 1 from theoutside.

The side walls 4, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 are eachconfigured to be foldable. The rear wall 6 has a number of (folding)hinges 21 for this purpose. The rear wall 6 can be folded inward withthe aid of the hinges 21 in such a way that the rear wall 6 lies flat onthe bottom 2. The front wall 8 has corresponding hinges (not shown) thatcan also be folded inward toward the bottom 2. The side walls 4 can alsobe folded in. For this purpose, the side walls 4 have folding hinges 23.The folding hinges 23 are preferably positioned in overlapping regionsof the individual side wall portions 10, 12, 14, 16. The side walls 4are reinforced in the overlapping regions. Since the folding hinges 23may be subject to higher forces as compared to other portions of theside walls 4, it is advantageous to arrange the folding hinges 23 in thereinforced overlapping regions. The folding hinges 23 of the side walls4 are spaced further apart from the bottom 2 than the hinges 21 of therear wall 6 or front wall 8. As a result, the side walls 4 come to restover the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 when they are folded down.When folded up, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8 engage in thecorner areas of the side walls 4. For this purpose, the side walls 4have latching devices 25 at the ends for connecting the side walls 4 tothe rear wall 6 or front wall 8, respectively.

FIG. 2 shows how another (identical) container 101 is placed on the opencontainer 1. The other container 101 is turned upside down and rotatedby 180°. When the other container 101 is placed on the container 1, theside walls 4, 104 fit together in such a way that a closed container 201is formed. In this case, a fourth side wall portion 116 together with arear wall 106 of the container 101 comprises the front wall 8 of thecontainer 1. Likewise, the fourth side wall portion 16 comprises thefront wall 108. The side walls 4, 104 fit into each other in such a waythat the respective offset side wall portions interlock. The respectiveside wall portions overlap over their entire height or respectively overthe entire height of the container 1. Thus, the first side wall portion10 is encompassed by the fourth side wall portion 116. The third sidewall portion 114, which is offset inward, slides adjacent to the secondside wall portion 12 such that the second side wall portion 12 ispositioned within the second side wall portion 12. Similarly, the secondside wall portion 112 slides adjacent to the third side wall portion 14such that the second side wall portion 112 abuts outside of the thirdside wall portion 14. The respective side wall portions 10, 12, 14, and16 engage with each other such that the side wall portions 10, 14 withthe recesses 20 are on the inside and the side wall portions 12, 16without recesses are on the outside. The front walls 8, 108 with therecesses 20 are also enclosed by the continuous rear walls 6, 106 andthe continuous fourth side wall portions 16, 116.

Since the side walls 4 are offset to each other several times andoverlap or interlock with each other, the side walls 4 are protectedagainst bulging outward or being constricted inward. This means thateven if a force from above acts on the container 1 and thus on the sidewalls 4 and the rims of the side walls 4 would slip against each otherdue to this force, the overlapping of the side wall portions 10, 12, 14,16 holds the side walls 4 together and prevents kinking, bulging and/orjamming of the side walls 4. The closed container 201 has a high degreeof stability due to the fact that the rear wall 106 and the fourth sidewall portion 116 engage around the front wall 8 with the first side wallportion 10. Since the side wall portions interlock, the individualcontainers 1, 101 are secured against slipping relative to each other.In particular, the fact that the fourth side wall portion 116 embracesthe front wall 8 over its entire height significantly increases thestability of the container 201.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the two containers 1, 101, which are joinedtogether. It can be clearly seen that all side wall portions 10, 12, 14,16 have the same height. As a result, the side wall portions 10, 12, 14,16 overlap at maximum length and give the closed container 201 thegreatest possible stability. The overlapping side wall portions 10, 12,14, 16 each form double outer walls for the closed container 201. In theside view, bulges are further shown on the side of the bottoms 2opposite the side walls 4. These bulges act as spacers 22 for stackedcontainers 1.

FIG. 4 shows the closed container 201. The two open containers 1, 101are connected to form the closed container 201. The closed container 201is used in particular for transporting goods in the container. Theclosed container 201 protects the goods inside from damage orcontamination. Since the side wall portions with the recesses 20 arelocated in the direction of the container interior, the closed container201 has continuous outer walls without holes or recesses. When the goodsare to be presented in the container, the closed container 201 isopened, i.e. the upper container 101 is removed and the lower container1 forms an open container suitable for the presentation of goods.

FIG. 5 shows two closed containers 201 stacked on top of each other. Bystacking, many containers 201 can be transported easily and in aspace-saving manner. The goods in the closed, stacked containers 201 areprotected by the containers. It is apparent that the stacked containers201 can be stacked, for example, on a transport cart as a means oftransport. When stacking several closed containers 201, the spacers 22keep the containers 201 away from each other. Furthermore, the spacers22 engage with each other and thereby prevent the containers 201 fromsliding against each other.

FIG. 6 shows an empty container 1 in which the side walls 4, the rearwall 6 and the front wall 8 are folded inward for easy transport. Thetwo side walls 4 can be folded over the rear wall 6 and the front wall8, which are folded inward. The folded state of the container 1 isparticularly suitable for returning an empty container 1. By folding,the empty container 1 can be reduced to a very small height and spacecan be saved. The reduced volume of the folded containers 1 savestransport and storage costs. It is obvious that folded containers 1 canalso be stacked. This saves a lot of storage volume.

When the container 1 is open to present goods, several open containers 1can also be stacked on top of each other. This is shown in FIG. 7 . Inthis case, the upper container 101 rests on the upper rims of the sidewall portions 10, 12, 14, 16, the rear wall 6 and the front wall 8. Anupper portion of the lower container 1 may dip into a bottom-sideopening of the upper container 101. The container 101 also rests on therear wall 6. The bottom of the container 101 preferably comprises alocking mechanism. The locking mechanism allows the upper portion to befixed or secured in the bottom-side opening of the upper container 101.The locking mechanism allows multiple containers 1, 101 to be securelystacked on top of each other without the top container 101 falling down.By stacking two open containers 1, 101, goods are visible in bothcontainers 1, 101. The goods in the lower container 1 are protected bythe bottom of the upper container 101.

1. An open container for transporting and displaying goods, the opencontainer comprising: a bottom; a rear wall protruding from the bottom;a first side wall protruding from the bottom; a second side wallprotruding from the bottom, the second side wall positioned opposite thefirst side wall; and a front wall provided with a cutout or a completelyopen front side, the first side wall comprising first side wall portionsthat are offset from one another laterally or in a direction transverseto a length of the first side wall, the second side wall comprisingsecond side wall portions that are offset from one another laterally orin a direction transverse to a length of the second side wall, the firstside wall portions and the second side wall portions configured to matewith corresponding side wall portions of a second open container that isconfigured identically to the open container, the first side wallportions and the second side wall portions configured to mate with thecorresponding side wall portions of the second open container when thefirst open container is in a first orientation and the second opencontainer is in a second orientation that is inverted relative to thefirst orientation, the first side wall portions and the second side wallportions of the first open container configured to mate with saidcorresponding side wall portions of the second open container in such away that the first side wall portions and the second side wall portionsoverlap the corresponding side wall portions over an entire height ofthe first side wall portions, second side wall portions andcorresponding side wall portions, the open container configured to matewith the second open container to form a closed container.
 2. The opencontainer according to claim 1, wherein the first side wall portions,second side wall portions and corresponding side wall portions aretrapezoidal or crenellated.
 3. The open container according to claim 1,wherein the bottom wall is hingedly connected to at least one of thefirst side wall, the second side wall, the rear wall and the front wall.4. The open container according to claim 1, wherein the first side wallportions partially overlap in a longitudinal direction of the first sidewall, and the second side wall portions partially overlap in alongitudinal direction of the second side wall.
 5. The open containeraccording to claim 4, wherein: the first side wall is hingedly connectedto the bottom, the second side wall is hingedly connected to the bottom,the first side wall portions overlap in the longitudinal direction ofthe first side wall in a first overlap region where the first side walland the bottom are hingedly connected, the first overlap region forminga first reinforced portion, and the second side wall portions overlap inthe longitudinal direction of the second side wall in a second overlapregion where the second side wall and the bottom are hingedly connected,the second overlap region forming a second reinforced portion.
 6. Theopen container according to claim 1, wherein: the first side wallportions and the second side wall portions of the open container areconfigured to lie parallel next to the corresponding side wall portionsof the second open container when the open container and the second opencontainer are mated together, and the first side wall portions and thesecond side wall portions each form a double side wall with thecorresponding side wall portions when the open container and the secondopen container are mated together.
 7. The open container according toclaim 1, wherein one or more of the front wall, the first side wallportions, the second side wall portions and the corresponding side wallportions have recesses.
 8. The open container according to claim 7,wherein the recesses form a honeycomb-shaped grid.
 9. The open containeraccording to claim 7, wherein the first side wall portions and thesecond side wall portions each include inwardly-disposed wall portionsand outwardly-disposed wall portions, the inwardly-disposed wallportions comprising at least some of the recesses, and theoutwardly-disposed wall portions forming continuous side wall portionswithout recesses.
 10. The open container according to claim 7, whereinthe front wall comprises at least some of the recesses.
 11. The opencontainer according to claim 1, wherein: the rear wall forms a rear-sidecontainer wall portion with one of the first side wall portions and oneof the second side wall portions, the rear-side container wall portionextends over an entire height of the open container, and the rear-sidecontainer wall portion is configured to cover a front wall of the secondopen container when the open container is mated with the second opencontainer.
 12. The open container according to claim 1, furthercomprising a third side wall portion that merges with the rear wall inan L-shape.
 13. The open container according to claim 1, wherein thefirst side wall portions and the second side wall portions collectivelyform an upper rim configured to support the second open container whenthe second open container is placed on top of the open container in astacked arrangement.
 14. The open container according to claim 13,further comprising a latch at the bottom, the latch being configured toreceive and secure an upper rim of the second open container when theopen container is stacked on top of the second open container.
 15. Theopen container according to claim 1, wherein the open container is aplastic container.